Do We Even Believe in Commitments Anymore?

Today's USA Today has a story on its front page titled "Tempers rise over oil-heat lock-ins".

Basically it gives examples of people and organizations that locked in prices thinking they were going to stay high, only to see them fall significantly.

Several of the organizations had reasonable positions such as this: We rolled the dice and did what we thought was the best thing to do.

But here's what kills me:

• In Connecticut, more than 500 people have called the attorney general's office in the past two months, trying to get out of the fuel contracts.
  
• New Hampshire's attorney general's office received at least a dozen calls and the Vermont AG's office about two dozen from upset homeowners.
  
• "It's a universal plea: they want us to extricate them from these contracts," says Attorney General Richard Blumenthal

I just can't get over how people can feel this way. If the price had gone up, and the people they bought the lock-ins from had called them to get out of the contracts, you can bet they would have been outraged! But they have no problem trying to go the other way.

Do we as a people place no value on our word? Goodness, these are binding legal contracts - if someone won't even live up to that, I can pretty much guess what they'd do with their word given the slightest difficulty. Hmmm, seems like the Bible says something about that somewhere...

Compromise in Religion

Religion is one thing on which we just can't compromise.

I suspect most of you have just now decided that I'm either crazy or just plain wrong. After all, if you really look closely, aren't most churches built on the idea that most things is OK, as long as it feels good? As long as we feel that we're serving God? And that anyone who disagrees is a crazy rule-keeper trying to work his way to Heaven? I think many (even most) people believe this, because I can't think of any other way to explain the vast differences in belief between people who call themselves Christians.

It seems to me that if God is real, and there is an absolute truth, then he has defined what is right and what is wrong. Negotiations between people don't come into it. Votes among delegates at conferences don't influence what is true and what is not.

My friend Gary has a great example of this on his website - click on "Answer 3 simple questions." just under the picture of the pen.

Here's the bottom line: What you and I want is immaterial. All that matters is what God wants. Realizing this is a big step toward aligning ourselves with Him.

And what God wants doesn't change. This is well said in a great Hank Snow song called My Religion's Not Old Fashioned (but It's Real Genuine). Some of the words in this link are a bit garbled, but you get the picture.

If those words are true, and I believe they are, then many churches are just wrong.

Whoa! Can you believe I just said that!? Surely I don't mean that? Well, yes, I'm afraid I do.

Do I believe I have all the answers? That I'm going to heaven and everyone else is bound straight for h-e-double-toothpicks?

Hardly. But I will say this: if you aren't regularly reading the Bible and praying for God to help you find the truth, how will you know what's right and what's not? You can't just believe what you hear from your friends or even your preacher - you have to be a Berean (Acts 17: 10-12) and decide for yourself.

And you can't just make up stuff because it feels good. Think about that - do you believe you can trust your daily feelings to tell you what God wants you to do?

Another "lukewarm" thought

I wanted to share this from my church bulletin last weekend. This rings so true to me. Why are the actions of so many "church-going" people completely out of sync with this?

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." - C.S. Lewis

Our Video Game Scores

I have a friend who suffers from pretty severe depression, occasionally to the point of suicidal thoughts. He wrote me this email:

Have you ever played a game, made a big mistake and now have no hope of getting a decent score? So maybe you play around a bit waiting for it to be over - giving no serious effort to it. Well, that's how I've been about almost everything my whole life. I just want whatever it is I'm having to do to be over."

I replied that I didn't think God cares what his score is and that in many ways he is better off than someone with a huge score (by being rich, powerful, healthy, famous, etc.) because they tend to think their score is because of their efforts alone.

Interestingly, just a few hours later I just happened to run across this:

Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." - Jeremiah 9:23-24 (English Standard Version)

"We are delivered!" - Or Are We?

Jeremiah 7:8-10 (ESV):

"Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, 'We are delivered!'—only to go on doing all these abominations?

Isn't this as valid today as it was almost 3,000 years ago?

The Cursing Christian?

Have any of you ever seen an episode of the television show Dog the Bounty Hunter? The lead character is a flamboyant bounty hunter who seems to make (or did the few times I saw it) a point of showing/claiming that he's a faithful Christian. I don't think he his, for many reasons, but one seems obvious: he curses quite often.

In my younger days, I used to curse quite a bit, and seldom thought much about it. As I've tried to be a faithful Christian these past few years I've worked to do that less and less and now rarely do (and try never to). I have known many people who don't think it is a big deal. Many of them don't think there is anything contradictory about cursing at will and being a Christian.

What does the Bible say?

• Hosea 4:2 - there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
  
• Psalm 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
  
• Ephesians 4:29 - Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
  
• Matthew 12:35-37 - The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
  
• Matthew 15:11 - it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.
  
• Colossians 3:8 - But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
  
• Titus 2:7-8 - Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
  
• 1 Peter 3:10 - Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;
  
• James 3:9-12 - With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
  

How exactly would we reconcile cursing and being a faithful Christian? Unless you believe that the Bible doesn't apply to you, or think that only part of it does, or something equally irrational, I don't see how you can.

And one last thing: I think there is a big difference between rebellion (I'm cursing and I'm not going to stop) and weakness (I'm trying to stop, but slipped up today and then repented and am trying to not do it again). This article is about the former, not the latter.

$20

I heard a great sermon recently about prayer. In it the speaker (Norm Webb, Jr.) made a point that I thought was worth repeating:

I see you one day and tell you that I'm a little short of cash and ask you to loan me $20. Then I avoid you for months and when I do finally see you I give you a hard luck story and ask you for $20 more. You are more hesitant but you give it to me. Same thing - I avoid you for as long as I can and then when we do meet, the first thing I do is ask you for more money. You might exclaim "Hey, is that all you want from me? Don't you care about our relationship at all?"

Ask yourself whether you are doing that with God and your prayer.

My apologies to Norm if I didn't get that exactly right. But hopefully you get the point.

Attitude, Part 2

I listened to a sermon a while back that just annoyed me no end.

I was sitting there, thinking that surely there was something more important to be talking about, silently disagreeing with the whole thing. Well, maybe not disagreeing as much as just not liking it.

I don't want to have that attitude, so I've thought a lot about why I had such a reaction. Was it not following the Scripture? No, I think it was Biblically sound. Did it not apply to me? No, it did. Was it something that I was doing, and was unhappy that someone would have the audacity to preach was wrong? Not really, upon reflection I think I do fairly well on this subject.

So why the negative reaction? Maybe it was my pride telling me that I'm too good to need to hear a message like this. Maybe it was Satan whispering in my ear that I don't need to worry about the little things - just "love God and my neighbor" and the details of daily life don't matter. Maybe it was me comparing myself to this or that person and thinking about just how much better I'm doing in this or that area.

A friend recently said that we've got to get over the attitude that when we find our behavior in conflict with the Bible, it is an indication that we found something wrong in the Bible, not that we've found something wrong in us.

And let's define "wrong" here. By that he meant "incorrect, or in need of work".

What is the point of the word of God? Isn't it intended to show the faithful how to be more like God? And aren't people who are interested in being more like God likely to see those places where God seems to want some trivial behavior, or whatever, as being red flags for our attitudes? Maybe those are just pointing out places where we need special effort to bring our attitudes and behavior into conformance with His view of things.

I learned a lot from my (mostly internal) experience with this sermon. I've got to get more on board with the choice of whether I want to follow God, or my own feelings (when they conflict - I think the ultimate goal is to change myself to the point that there is no conflict). And perhaps more to the point here, to be welcoming, not resentful, of any Biblically sound instruction.

Attitude, Part 1

This is how Dictionary.com defines attitude:

Attitude: "manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, esp. of the mind"

Take a second to consider yours. Not at this particular moment, but overall, day to day (the problem with "right now" is that it will usually be too heavily influenced by how you feel).

If you think you have a pretty good/positive attitude, try this: imagine your 8 year old spilling his drink on the living room carpet, or being late to work when someone bumps you from behind at a stop sign, or dropping a spoonful of spaghetti on your dress at lunch, or any number of irritating things that can happen to us daily.

How do you respond when something like that happens? If you are like me, you get annoyed. And you may yell at the driver, or get upset with your 8-year old, or stomp around in a mad-at-self display.

So how do you fix this? What I do is say "that's what I did this time". And just think about that. And then, maybe because you think about that, next time you can catch yourself and in each case be a bit less so. This will work, though it may take a while. If you are impatient, just think where you'll be in "a while" if you don't start trying to fix it now.

One last thing: how often do you take offense at what people say to or about you? It's the same process. And really this is just trying to be less concerned about ourselves. If we try thinking less of ourselves (or rather, thinking of ourselves less) we'll take less offense at what people say. And I believe take another step on the path toward God.

The Point of Truth

I think we all come to a point of truth in our lives. That is when we decide whether we really want to know what God expects of us. And whether we are going to follow him or not.

I can understand an honest atheist. If you've examined the evidence and conclude that religion is all a bunch of made up nonsense, that's fine. I think you are wrong but I respect your decision. If you don't believe in hell, then you certainly shouldn't worry about it.

It is the lukewarm "Christian" I can't understand. The person who believes the Bible is true, but don't follow it (and seems to seldom even read it). Who seems to agree that there is indeed a God in heaven, and perhaps a devil in hell, but are content to occasionally go to church but not look too deeply into what all this means. Who pray when they need help, but go about their business the rest of the time.

I mean, either this stuff is true or it isn't. Being half way true really doesn't make a lot of sense. If it isn't true, then don't worry. But if you think it is true, then shouldn't you take it seriously?

How does one break out of this state of being? Honestly I'm not sure. I spent most of my life as a resident of that state, and only in the past few years struggled out of it. Why did I decide that what I was doing wasn't enough? That I was mouthing the words but not living the life? I just don't know. I can't remember turning right instead of left. I can't remember explicitly choosing God over Satan. I can't remember what made me sit up and realize that I wasn't really a Christian (though I was pretending to be one), and much more importantly, start taking action to change that.

While I can't remember exactly when I changed my path, I can think of two things that influenced me.

The first is my reading of the Bible. C.S. Lewis said that the Bible is an education in itself, and I believe that's true. Read it often (and sincerely) enough, and it will change you. It is hard to explain how (here's one attempt), but I very much believe it has worked for me.

The second is that for years I've prayed for God to show me his will. To help me see what I should do and to have the courage to do it. I think he answered it by guiding me - by helping me turn right instead of left, but helping me see more clearly what is right and what is wrong. By giving me the desire and ability to start toward Him.

That seems pretty simple doesn't it? Read the Bible and pray for help. Over and over.

If you feel lost, that something is missing, that you aren't on the right path, just do those two things (and if you aren't sure how to get started with either of them, email me - I'd be thrilled to do what I can to help you - and you might be surprised to find out just how many people will line up to do the same). Be patient and do this for as long as it takes - days, months, years. Keep doing it and wherever you are, whatever kind of person you may be, God will answer you. He may do it in his own time, but he'll definitely do it. He's promised that, and he doesn't break his promises.

Part 3: It is Still Not About You

You know how someone can casually mention something and it just sticks with you? Well Gary Copeland once shared this wisdom with me: we don't just go to church for ourselves: we also go to provide support and fellowship for our brethren. His point was what if he just didn't go tonight and someone there really needed him?

The more I think about that, the more it gets to me.

I may not agree with much of Rick Warren's theology, but in A Purpose Driven Life he really nailed it when he said "It's not about you."

That's such a critical part of being a Christian - loving others - thinking about others - wanting to help them - as opposed to being only concerned about ourselves. And I think as we work to "become" more like Christ (instead of just checking off the rules), we find ourselves naturally being that way.

Part 2: Must You Go to Church on Wednesday Night?

More on not trying to do, but to become. [Note: your church may not have a Wednesday night service - that's OK because that's not really my point.]

I have a preacher friend who says he's often been challenged to "show me where the Bible says I'll go to Hell if I don't go to church on Wednesday night!"

I love his answer: "I think it would be easier to show you how you'll go to Hell if you don't want to go to church on Wednesday night."

If you are focused on "doing", you might just try to make yourself go. The problem with that is that anything that relies on constant willpower will eventually fail. What if instead you were focused on "becoming"...becoming the kind of person who loves God so much he never wants to miss a chance to worship and be in fellowship with other Christians. (I'm not talking about the occasional time where you just feel down or sick - I'm talking about your usual state of being.)

Which would you rather be: the person who sighs and drags himself out of his chair and forces himself to go church on Wednesday or the one to can't wait to get there?

Which do you think God would rather you be?

Part 1: Not Trying To Do, But Trying To Become

One of the many things I love about C.S. Lewis is that he often shows us a completely different way of looking at something. For example, I think it is common for people to see Christianity as "work": as something you have to do in order to get to heaven or to be in God's favor, or as a daily denial of things we'd really like but aren't allowed to do.

Lewis didn't see it that way, and I think we can learn from some of the things he says about this in Mere Christianity:

We might think that God wanted simply obedience to a set of rules: whereas He really wants people of a particular sort.
...

The point is not that God will refuse you admission to His eternal world if you have not got certain qualities of character: the point is that if people have not got at least the beginnings of those qualities inside them, then no possible external conditions could make a "Heaven" for them - that is, could make them happy with the deep, strong, unshakable kind of happiness God intends for us.
...

People often think of Christian morality as a kind of bargain in which God says, "If you keep a lot of rules I'll reward you, and if you don't I'll do the other thing." I do not think that is the best way of looking at it. I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.
...

What we should have liked would be for God to count our good points and ignore our bad ones. Again, in a sense, you may say that no temptation is ever overcome until we stop trying to overcome it - throw up the sponge. But then you could not "stop trying" in the right way and for the right reason until you had tried your very hardest. And, in yet another sense, handing everything over to Christ does not, of course, mean that you stop trying. To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not trying to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of heaven is already inside you. (emphasis mine - Keith)

The more I think about it, the more I believe that this is the true path for the Christian - not trying to do, but trying to become. Of course you become by doing, but doing isn't the goal.

Why Aren't All Atheists Hedonists?

Have you ever heard the term "moral atheist"? Someone who doesn't believe in God, but has a moral code that they follow. I mean a code that most of us would consider moral: nice, decent people who don't lie or cheat or steal.

I've often wondered about someone who appears to be a decent person, but doesn't believe God exists; to what do they ascribe their morality? What is the difference between the moral atheist who picks the code I mention above and one who is the opposite? If we aren't comparing the behavior of each to some higher standard, then how can we say one is right and one wrong?

If you google "moral atheist" you'll find all kinds of articles where people try to defend their non-Christian (positive) morality. They claim that it "is just the right thing to do" or that "it is built into people" or that "they are moral because having a moral society is ultimately good for them".

While I'd certainly rather share society with the moral atheist than the amoral (or immoral) one, their logic makes no sense to me. C.S. Lewis just shreds this kind of thinking in Mere Christianity, but if you don't have time to read that at the moment, consider this:

I once heard a someone joke that if he didn't believe in God, why not "head straight for Las Vegas and the hookers?" His point was that his sense of morality flows from God and that if that wasn't true, then pretty much anything goes, and what would be wrong with that or anything else? How would you condemn something (or anything) I've done without using God's words? Wouldn't anything I do be as valid as anything you do? How could you be right and me wrong...unless we've got some standard to which to compare our behavior?

I've heard Christian apologists argue that if our morality is relative, and one decided to murder a group of small children, how exactly would you condemn them for that? I think the honest relativist would agree that he couldn't.

As logical as that is, why don't we see more people agreeing with it? Because it just isn't right. Relativism outside of anarchy makes no sense to me - it just boils down to "my personal values are the right ones."

I don't think we can trust our personal values - the only ones that can be trusted are God's.

Do You Always Feel Close to God?

Think back to the time you felt closest to God. Maybe it was right after (or when) you were baptized, maybe during a gospel meeting or revival, or maybe just one day at home during prayer.

Do you feel that way every day? Of course not!

We all have our good and bad days. Sometimes we feel like we're on top of the world and other times like everything is going wrong. We feel close to God one day and far away from Him another.

When you feel far away from God, remember that it is you who has moved, not Him! My friend Mike Carstensen once put it so clearly: "No matter how far you walk away from God, just turn around and He's only one step away."

When I'm feeling apart from God - when I find it hard to pray or read the Bible or just be nice - I just keep trying. Maybe today I don't read as long, or pray as effectively, or treat people as well as I'd like. But I just do the best I can, and wait for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is almost always better.

God is Not a God of Confusion

Have you ever thought the Bible was confusing? Hard to understand? I have, and I've heard other people say the same thing. But then I've also heard people say they think the Bible is just plain as day. What does the Bible itself say about this?

For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. - 1 Corinthians 14:33 (ESV)

Over time I've changed my mind on the confusing part. I don't understand everything it says, but I think I'm seeing more and more of the basics, and I have faith and confidence that the rest will follow.

Study of the Bible seems to be like anything else - you get out of it what you put into it (sowing & reaping). If you occasionally browse it you'll have a hard time understanding it. If you read and study it often you won't have as much trouble.

You can understand the Bible if you try. It won't be easy and it won't be fast, but if you believe what it says, you will eventually get it.

How to Get Started with God

What do you do if you decide you know very little about God, but want to know more? You think you might want to become a Christian, but you aren't sure what that means. You may have a thousand questions and just don't know what to do to get started:

Which Bible do I read? How often should I read it? How long and how often do I pray? What do I pray for? What should I be looking for? What church do I attend?

There are so many questions, and those of us who have been on this path for a while (and maybe who have had someone take us under their wing) can forget how overwhelming it can be. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Read the Bible

• Read Luke, 1 chapter per day, Monday – Saturday (this should take even a slow reader maybe 10 minutes per day)
  
• When done, read Acts, same schedule
  
• Try to read at the same time every day – it will help you establish a routine
  
• Read to enjoy, not for deep understanding – don't skim, but don't get bogged down either.
  
• If you have questions, write them down to ask someone later - then keep reading!

Pray every day

• Even after years of practice, this is still hard for me, and I expect it will be for you, probably because you may not be sure if you are doing it right, or well enough. It's OK, God understands, just pray.
  
• Don't worry about what to say. Just ask for one thing: for God to help you come closer to him. If you feel like praying about other things or for particular people, that's fine, but if not, just that one thing will do.
  

Other Thoughts

• You need the fellowship of Christians at every step in your walk with God. Find a loving church that teaches the Bible and tries to live by it. Naturally I recommend my church, but we don't have a monopoly on the truth.
  
• You don't need to start by attending two or three times per week - just go to the main service on Sunday and at some point you'll find that you want to do more.
  
• Don't worry about any of the implications (real or imagined) of becoming a Christian – just do the above things and everything will take care of itself. Especially don't think that if you become a Christian you will need to give up all of the relationships you currently have - I believe that's a trap and isn't what a Christian is supposed to do.
  
• If you have questions, thoughts, concerns, worries, whatever, hang on! When you feel you are ready, there are tons of people who would consider it the highest honor to study the Bible with you - at your pace, wherever and whenever is convenient for you - just email me if you are interested in that and I'll hook you up (with someone who won't beat you up or try to pound their particular beliefs into you).
  
• Remember that your current goal isn't to understand everything in the Bible; it is to start figuring out what God has to offer, and to just learn more.
  
• Don't worry about your spouse, your kids, or anything else at this point - all of those things will work themselves out as you progress.
  

If you are interested in starting down this path, I hope this helps you, and I want you to know just how many people would be thrilled at the prospect of helping you in any way. God Bless you and good luck!

Followup to "What is the Purpose of Your Church?"

I wrote an article the other day that may have seemed a little "holier than thou". I look back on it and realize that you might have taken it as "if your church isn't exactly like mine, you are wrong." I hope it didn't come across that way, but if it did please accept my apologies. Regardless, allow me to expand and perhaps clarify what I was trying to say:

While I may have significant differences with someone's theology, that's not what I'm talking about, and the people I was criticizing there aren't those who disagree with me.

If you read the Bible and decide it says something, and you are trying to live by that, I say fantastic! Maybe I think you are wrong, but hey, maybe I'm the one in error. I'm willing to be that, and if I am, I hope you will love me enough to try to show me (and that I'll love you enough to listen). If we both have that attitude, perhaps together we can come to the real truth!

My problem is with people who just don't try. Who are irrational and content to stay that way. People who say "Yeah, I know the Bible says that, but..." or say "I don't know why God wouldn't want me to do this."

To those people I'd say this: read the whole Bible and tell me what importance God places on obedience. If you honestly conclude that the answer is "not much", then you probably shouldn't be listening to me!

What is the Purpose of your Church?

The church I attend has a simple mission:

1) Know what the Bible says

2) Do what the Bible says

3) Help others with #1 and #2

Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? Turns out it isn't. I think it is easy to get caught up in just hanging out together and not put much thought into God's plan. It is easy to want what you want, and not think too much about what He wants.

I'm not saying that I, or my church, have all the answers. But we are trying and we do have a clear plan.

What's your church's plan?

What's the Meaning of Life?

I've become a big fan of Tim Ferriss. He's got a lot of interesting things to say, and his book The 4-Hour Workweek has significantly influenced me.

Though I don't know if he's a Christian, he has a lot to say about fully living life. For example, here he's talking about trying to answer the big questions such as "What is the meaning of life?" or "What is the point of it all?":

I am 100% convinced that most big questions we feel compelled to face - handed down through centuries of over thinking and mistranslation- use terms so undefined as to make attempting to answer them a complete waste of time. (There is a place for koans and rhetorical meditative questions, but these tools are optional and outside the scope of this book. Most questions without answers are just poorly worded.) This isn't depressing. It's liberating.

...

Before spending time on a stress-inducing question, big or otherwise, ensure that the answer is "yes" to the following two questions:

1. Have I decided on a single meaning for each term in the question?

2. Can an answer to this question be acted upon to improve things?

"What is the meaning of life?" fails the first and thus the second. Questions about things beyond your sphere of influence like "What if the train is late tomorrow?" fail the second and should thus be ignored. These are not worthwhile questions. If you can't define it or act upon it, forget it. If you take just this point from this book, it will put you in the top 1% of performers in the world and keep most philosophical distress out of your life.

Sharpening your logical and practical mental toolbox is not being an atheist or unspiritual. It's not being crass and it's not being superficial. It's being smart and putting your effort where it can make the biggest difference for yourself and others.

-- from The 4-Hour Workweek, p. 268-269

This is related to a recent post of mine where I try to make the point that if you can't do anything about something, don't worry about it.

Of course, I do believe there is an answer to the question "What's the meaning of life?" and it is to devote that life to God - learning what he has to say to me, and then adhering to that to the best of my ability. Some of you out there will disagree about that, and that's fine. But whether or not you are devoting your life to God's service, I think Tim's advice is valuable.

Absorbing Bible Knowledge Daily

Bible knowledge is not something you can force in a few long study sessions, every once in a while. It is best accumulated day by day, and accompanied by prayers for understanding.

You will be much more successful with a defined reading plan than with randomly opening the Bible and trying to read. And unless you are a super human discipline machine, you don't have to try to read it an hour a day. You almost certainly won't be able to keep that up, which increases the chances of you quitting altogether.

Just get in the habit of reading (or listening) over and over. Start with 5 minutes (say one chapter of Luke, then move on to Acts) each day. If you do that you'll find that you often keep going. But don't feel bad if you don't - just get started every day. Create a regular place and a time and stick to it.

Get a good Bible that you can understand (I recommend the ESV) and be careful of using a paraphrase (here's an interesting article on that subject).

You can also read online at BibleGateway.com - it makes it very easy to read and compare different translations.

However you get your regular portion of the Bible, try to get it daily.

[If you would like to be more consistent in your Bible reading but just aren't sure how to start, or how much to read, or what parts to read, or whatever - just email me and I'd be happy to help you get started.]

Don't Take Offense When None is Intended

This is a pet peeve of mine. Do you ever spend time around people who are always mad? Who constantly analyze everything they hear, looking for some reason to take offense?

• “We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it.” - Abraham Lincoln
  
  
• “Whenever anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach it” - Rene Descartes
  
  
• “Never ascribe to malice that which can adequately be explained by incompetence.” - Napoleon Bonaparte
  
  
• "Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous, love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offense, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, ESV
  
  

I believe the message is this: this isn't about me. The Christian isn't helping by taking offense. It is hard to love our enemies if we're mad at (or offended by) them.

I know this is easier said than done. But when you come right down to it, no one can offend you or make you feel bad without your permission. Work toward withholding that permission.

Quick Quote on Loving God

A friend emailed this today:

"God, help me to love you enough to obey."

What else can I say?

Why use a Mac?

This is a little off my normal subject material, but what the heck - when ya get religion, whether theological or technical, you want to share it! A few months ago I got a Macbook. I know several smart people who have moved to Macbooks in the past couple of years, and they have urged (OK, made great fun of) me to do the same. So I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

I started with a used Macbook from Ebay because I have a history of having a cool idea, spending a bunch of money to get started, and then not using what I bought (Gail will be happy to vouch for this). I thought doing this would allow me to cheaply find out whether the Mac would increase my productivity and if it did, I could then spring for a newer, better one. Which I plan to do soon - my only decision now is whether to get a 15" or 17" Macbook Pro.

Here are a few things I love about my Macbook, compared to the Windows desktops and laptops I've used for more than a decade:

• The hardware is better. Sure it is a lot more expensive than a Windows notebook. But it isn't throw away stuff - it is meant to be used by serious professionals (whether or not that's what you are) and it is built to last. This has been my experience, and from what I read, that of a lot of people.
  
  
• The support is better. Apple really stands behind their products. I'm sure there are always some bad experiences, but mine has been similar to this: My friend Ryan walked into the Apple store in Huntsville recently and said "I was playing with my son and dropped my iphone (that I didn't buy here) on the sidewalk and now it is having problems." Their response? "Here's a new one." If you are getting this kind of support from Dell or HP or Verizon, that's great, but that hasn't been my experience.
  
  
• No viruses. Maybe there are some out there, but they haven't bothered me, and I spend zero time buying, configuring, managing, or upgrading virus software. And no time messing with the viruses themselves. I wonder how much money that adds to your Windows PC cost and how much of your valuable time is wasted messing with that stuff?
  
  
• No (OK, very little) rebooting. I have always had to reboot my Windows PCs all the time. Things hang up, quit working, or just get slow. I rarely have to reboot my Macbook.
  
  
• It is Unix. I first started using and writing software for Unix around 1986 or 1987 at Intergraph when they came out with CLIX. While there are some pretty technical Windows fans for who I have a great deal of respect (my old Intergraph buddies John Allen and Tony Dye come to mind), my personal experience is that Mac OS X and Linux are a lot more stable, easier to use, and cheaper to administer than Windows. And with Apple continuing to make inroads with their Mac sales, the days of having to use Windows because that's where all the software is are coming to a close.
  
  

Like most religious wars, this one won't be solved in my lifetime. I'm not trying to convert anyone to the Mac. And this guy says it better than I can anyway. All I'm saying is that I'm much, much happier and more productive with a Macbook - maybe you would be too...

Do you know when to quit?

I recently wrote an article on persistance. Today I want to look at the other side of that.

A friend sent me an interesting article (Knowing When to Quit) that was particularly meaningful to him because of his own experiences in the coffee business.

As I think about this I realize that in past businesses I've very much NOT known when to quit. I've spent literally hundreds of thousands of dollars and seriously endangered my family's financial position because I couldn't see past the emotion.

Readers of this blog know that I try to be a positive, can do kind of person. I think the "whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you are right" line of thinking is true.

But here's the thing - sometimes you just don't have the resources or ability to do this thing. You need to know the difference between blind optimism and justified optimism.

In On Writing, (the best book on the subject I've ever read) Stephen King said that there are 4 kinds of writers: bad, OK, good, and genius (I don't remember his exact labels but for the record he considers himself in the "good" category). He said that with a lot of work you can make an OK writer good but that you can never make a bad writer good. You either have it or you don't.

No matter how hard I try, or how much I practice, or how many lessons I take, I won't be playing in the NBA. Some businesses aren't going to work - they just can't - the math isn't there. Some careers or jobs just aren't ever going to pan out. The trick is to be wise enough (or look hard enough) to know the difference. I recently read a short little book called The Dip that might give you some insight into how to do that.

Paul's Eyes

We can only know what we can know, and we have to be satisfied that we can't know more than that. My particular engineering-type personality doesn't like that. I want to know everything; I want to be certain of everything. But I can't be. I've come to accept that for the most part, and that sometimes makes it hard not to be annoyed by people who haven't.

You see, some things are clearly spelled out in the Bible, and we can safely decide that they are true. Some things are less clear, and while they may be true, the Bible doesn't give us enough information to know for sure. Take the following passage:

Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. What then has become of the blessing you felt? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. - Galatians 4:12-15, ESV

Paul seemed to have some sort of physical ailment ("...a thorn was given me in the flesh..." - 2 Cor 12:7) and people have theorized that he had a problem with his eyes based on the verse above and a few other phrases in the epistles such as "See with what large letters I am writing to you..." - Galatians 6:12).

Now that may very well be what those verses mean. My point is that we can't be sure.

And left alone, that's well and good. Does it really matter whether Paul had poor eyesight or gout or heartburn? I don't think so. What I think we want to avoid is this:

We pick something like this, decide it is a fact, then base further assumptions on that, often not stopping until we've "proven" something to be true. Unfortunately that "proof" is based on a series of assumptions, none of which are certain. My wife's grandmother (Jane Hale) used to warn that you could prove anything by the Bible, and I think by this reasoning she was right.

So be careful to distinguish between what is true and what may be true. What's our best defense against this? In my opinion it is reading and studying the whole Bible over and over, in many different ways (and it doesn't hurt to use different translations from time to time). Look for the overall message and for how the pieces fit together. If you believe Matthew 7:7 is true, we'll understand in the end.

Single Handling Tasks

The other day I received an email from someone at work with a problem for me to address. I opened it and saw what it was and decided it was too complex for me to easily solve right now, so I replied that I'd take a look at it soon and started to move on. Then I remembered something I've heard Brian Tracy mention many times: practice single-handling tasks.

You see, it wasn't that I couldn't do anything on this task right now, it was that I didn't want to! It wasn't going to be straightforward, and was going to require some thought, and some coordination with other people, and who has the energy for all that right now?

But here's the problem: every time you open that email or pick up that paper you have to spend time coming up to speed on what it says. You have to switch everything out of your mind and put this task back into it. If you do like I've often done and open it 3 or 4 or 10 times before you eventually do something with it you can sometimes spend as much time trying to get started as actually doing it!

So what did I do with that email? I opened it right back up and handled it. I spent the time to think about what was required, and emailed the people from whom I needed input, and made some notes, and basically took it as far as I could at that point. Then I was able to archive that email - it wasn't sitting there in my inbox waiting for me to open it over and over, causing me never-ending stress.

Persistence

I'm a big fan of persistence. I think it is the ultimate power tool. With it you can conquer the world! Before its wrath, obstacles are blown away, problems fall by the wayside, setbacks are scoffed at. Whatever you are trying to accomplish, persistence wins.

So many people give up just before they turn the corner. If they could just see through the clouds, they'd see success.

Here are some of my favorite quotes on persistence:

• Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in. - Bill Bradley
  
  
• Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success. – Napoleon Hill
  
  
• Energy and persistence conquer all things. - Ben Franklin
  
  
• Persistence is what makes the impossible possible, the possible likely, and the likely definite. - Robert Half
  
  
• Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance. - Samual Johnson
  
  
• Fall seven times, stand up eight. - Japanese proverb
  
  
• When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stone-cutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it would split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before together. - Jacob A. Riis, journalist and social reformer (1849-1914)
  
  
• Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. - Calvin Coolidge
  
  
• It is the `follow through' that makes the great difference between ultimate success and failure, because it is so easy to stop. - Charles F. Kettering
  

Being in Awe of God

I listened to a sermon recently about how to have a better prayer life and one thing I heard that really stayed with me was how we often fail to appreciate the magnitude of God and the reverence that appreciation should generate. He compared praying and attending church to visiting the President - would we wear old clothes, take cell phone calls during dinner, or otherwise be disrespectful? Of course not, a visit like that would be a once-in-a-lifetime honor for most of us.

If that's how we'd feel about a meeting with the President, how should we feel about a meeting (prayer, church) with the creator of the universe?

I hadn't thought about it that way, but that really stuck in my mind, and I've decided that I need to show more awe toward God.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

"If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then also there is no need to worry." - Dalai Lama

I've had this posted on the wall of my office for a long time. I think about it often, and if you know me very well I've probably told you about it at one point or another.

I think this is one of the most valuable pieces of advice anyone could ever get, and I try to live by it. Is it hard to implement? Oh yeah, definitely. But is it possible?

I believe so. And the upside is tremendous!

Like anything else, the first step in implementing it is to think about it. When you find yourself stressing about something, examine it and ask yourself which of the two of the Dalai Lama's categories it fits into, and then decide whether you need to worry!

I'm only being partly facetious - the more you try to do this, the better your results will be. Practice makes perfect (well, if not perfect, at least mostly worry free).

One final thing: I've had friends point out that they know there is something they can do about their situation, but they don't, and so they just worry (or worry about why they aren't doing it). All I can say is that if your problem is that you know what you need to do, but can't get yourself to do it...well, that's a topic for another day...

Asking God for Help

Do you believe that if you ask God for help, he'll answer you? Even more do you believe he'll actually do something to help you? If he does, will you be able to recognize it?

I suppose a good part of that depends on what you ask:

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. - 1 John 5:14 - ESV

Now I've struggled for a long time about what to ask for. There are people like Joel Osteen who, as far as I can understand, believe you should ask God for a bigger house or more money. That doesn't seem right to me, as I read the Bible to say that I shouldn't really care that much about those things:

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. - Matthew 6:31-33 - ESV

As C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity, "Do not think I'm going faster than I really am." I'm not against being wealthy any more than I'm against being well fed or having a roof over my head. It is the pursuit of wealth or food or possessions above all else (or maybe to great extremes) that seems to me to be the problem. In any case, I suspect Jesus said all that business about the camel and the needle for a reason...

But that's not the point of this post. The point is that I believe I can show you something that God will always grant you, though I'm not sure how it may be manifested in your case. For me, it has worked like this:

Ever since I started down the path toward becoming a Christian, I've been asking God for help. I've not been sure exactly what to say to him but in general I have just asked him to help me get closer to him, and to show me the truth. And at least for the past few years, I've been clear that I'm willing to subjugate my will to his. As I look back I marvel at what he has done: for the past 10 years I've had a succession of people always there offering to study with me. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Church of Christ people, and people who just considered themselves "spiritual". At every single step of my journey I had multiple people there helping me, and they always seemed to be the right ones at that time. I didn't always (and sometimes still don't) agree with everything they were saying, and sometimes they (very properly) made me a bit uncomfortable as they pushed me to examine my sometimes mistaken or inconsistent or irrational beliefs.

I don't know how you feel about that kind of thing, but the only conclusion I can reach is that God has been sending me these people. There have been too many of them, over too long of a time, for any other explanation.

So what does this all mean? Look back at 1 John 5:14 and pray for things that are "according to his will".

"Procrastination feeds on distractions." - Paul Graham

Here is an interesting article on how easy it is to be distracted. Whether you are as ADD as me or just a normal person trying to get work done, you'll appreciate these insights.

"I'm Fantastic!"

I have a goal that I've worked on for quite a few years: wherever I am, I want to be the happiest, most positive person in the room. If you know me think of the last time you asked me how I was doing - chances are I said "Fantastic!" or "Great!" or "Fabulous!".

I do that because I believe thinking it makes it so. Saying it makes it even more so. But that applies to whatever "it" is: "I'm stupid." or "I'll never get that right." are just as self-fulfilling as "I feel great!".

Henry Ford said "Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right. " and you've probably heard the old saw "You are what you eat!". There is a similar and probably more important saying from Earl Nightingale called The Strangest Secret: "We become what we think about."

There are hundreds if not thousands of books on the power of positive thinking - you don't need me to tell you about them. Just try this for the next week: Anytime anyone asks you how you feel, smile and say "Great!" Whenever you catch yourself saying or thinking anything negative about yourself, just stop.

If you do that consistently for a week, I bet you see a big improvement in how you feel!

Stress is like a cockroach

Most likely you feel stress. Some days more, some days less, some people more, some people less, but we pretty much all feel it. Here is a good definition from Hans Selye, M.D.: "a nonspecific response of the body to a demand."

Note the word "nonspecific". Stress gets its power from being fuzzy and undefined. It lives in the shadows and doesn't like the light. If you shine the light of your focused thoughts on it, it will try to hide and often just fade away.

Try this the next time you feel stressed or overwhelmed: just sit down and think about exactly what is bothering you.

You don't have to pretend things aren't bad if they really are. You don't have to say "it will be OK" if you don't believe it. Just think about what is likely to happen. Think about the worst possible thing that could happen. Try to figure out what is bothering you - what is causing these feelings. Don't try to solve it, just think about it, turn it over in your mind, look at it from all sides. Feel it as intensely as you can. Embrace it. Wallow in it. Stand in front of a mirror and talk to yourself like you were explaining it to a friend - help them understand exactly why were are feeling this way.

You will often find that the emotions you feel are in excess of the actual facts - sometimes significantly so. Stress is that way. It is gets its power from being undefined, unclear, fuzzy, nonspecific. Shine your light on it and don't let it be like that for you.

Absolute Truth?

Do you believe in absolute truth? Or do you think that different people can have different versions of the truth, and all be right (that truth is relative)?

A lot of people seem to believe that truth is relative. I have to disagree with them because if that's true (pun intended), I don't see how we can know anything.

A friend emailed me and put it in a way I hadn't considered: if it is OK to believe anything (or many things), why does the Bible warn against false teaching?

Think about that - wouldn't "false teaching" imply that some things are true/right and some things are false/wrong? That there is a standard somewhere by which all teachings will be judged to be right or wrong?

"...and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." - John 8:32, ESV

If "the truth" exists as Jesus said it does, does that mean that it is right and something else is wrong? What could Jesus have meant by this:

"For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. - Matthew 24:24, ESV

Unless there is such a thing as falsehood, and false teachings, how could I be led astray? Wouldn't anything I believe be the truth for me? I've had many people assert this very thing to me, but I just can't see how it is possible. What would a false christ/prophet say that would be wrong? Wouldn't that just be his own truth?

Why I Love the ESV

The ESV (English Standard Version) is a relatively new Bible translation and I hope it becomes very popular. Where I attend church many people use the NKJV (New King James Version) which is a very accurate translation and is much easier for most people to read than the KJV (King James Version) or the ASV (American Standard Version), both of which are also very accurate.

I think the ESV combines the best of both accuracy and ease of reading for the modern American. See what they say about their Translation Philosophy:

The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking into account differences of grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original.

In contrast to the ESV, some Bible versions have followed a “thought-for-thought” rather than “word-for-word” translation philosophy, emphasizing “dynamic equivalence” rather than the “essentially literal” meaning of the original. A “thought-for-thought” translation is of necessity more inclined to reflect the interpretive opinions of the translator and the influences of contemporary culture.

Every translation is at many points a trade-off between literal precision and readability, between “formal equivalence” in expression and “functional equivalence” in communication, and the ESV is no exception. Within this framework we have sought to be “as literal as possible” while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence.

Therefore, to the extent that plain English permits and the meaning in each case allows, we have sought to use the same English word for important recurring words in the original; and, as far as grammar and syntax allow, we have rendered Old Testament passages cited in the New in ways that show their correspondence. Thus in each of these areas, as well as throughout the Bible as a whole, we have sought to capture the echoes and overtones of meaning that are so abundantly present in the original texts.

As an essentially literal translation, then, the ESV seeks to carry over every possible nuance of meaning in the original words of Scripture into our own language. As such, it is ideally suited for in-depth study of the Bible. Indeed, with its emphasis on literary excellence, the ESV is equally suited for public reading and preaching, for private reading and reflection, for both academic and devotional study, and for Scripture memorization.

Go to Bible Gateway and read some of your favorite verses in the ESV and see what you think!

My Heart Condition

All I can do is thank God for the news I just received and all of you for your prayers!

Most of you know of the heart condition I've been dealing with since January. My heart function had been 20-24% (normal is 50-60%) and my aortic valve had a fairly severe leak (enough that the Dr. would have recommended surgery if my heart had been stronger).

Today I got the results of an echocardiogram that I had 3 weeks ago (after about 2 months on my meds): My heart function had risen to 40-45% and there was no sign of any problems with my aortic valve!

The Dr. said it was possible that I'll continue to improve and return to normal heart function. She did point out that this is a lifetime condition, and I'll never go off of these meds, but still, this is great news! The only restriction is that I'll pretty much always have to stay away from lifting anything over about 20 lbs, which is a pain, but overall I have to say that I'm the luckiest man in the world!

Thanks every one of you for your prayers and support - God Bless you all!

Keith

Inspiring Quote for Book Lovers

We wish our book to live when we shall be sleeping the years away. Yes, and live it will. This is the frightful thought. LIVE IT WILL. A mistake from the pulpit may soon be forgotten - should we make a mistake in an article furnished a paper or periodical, it may be lost or worn out, and soon pass away; but a book will live on, when he who wrote it lives only in the work left behind him.

- T. W. Brents, preface to The Gospel Plan of Salvation, Richmond, TN, February 10, 1874

In or Out?

Did your mom ever say (or yell) "in or out!" when you were a kid, standing there holding the door open? Mine sure did. Did Jesus say the same thing to us?

I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. - Revelation 3:15-17, English Standard Version

Does it do us any good to be anything less than totally committed to Christ? Is he OK with us leading a mostly moral life, going to church occasionally (or regularly but with a bad attitude), reading the Bible once in a while, and praying only when we are in trouble? Are we all right if we just avoid doing anything really bad like selling drugs or murdering or robbing banks?

The words that I read in the Bible don't seem to indicate that. The message I get (all through the Bible, not just in Revelation) is that it is all or nothing - if I don't make following Christ the primary purpose of my life, I may as well ignore him.

I realize that different people are at different places in their relationship with God. We can each be at a different stage as long as we're striving as hard as we can to progress. But if we're not doing that - if we're not doing the best we can to be better at prayer, study and fellowship - then we're letting him down. Picture yourself standing before Jesus and answering the question of whether you really lived for him. If you see yourself having a hard time with that question, now is the time to get moving!

Getting Started

Last week I wrote about writing, and how forcing yourself to get started results in actually getting writing done. Ryan took what I started and extended it to everything. Good stuff, that.

Writers Write

"Remember, a writer writes . . . always." - Billy Crystal as Larry Donner in Throw Mamma From the Train


For a long time I've wanted to be a writer. I've dreamed of it ever since I became a dedicated reader in my early teens. At first I wanted to write science fiction books, then any book, then much later a book on religion. Then came the Internet and blogs. That made it easy. Well, kind of.

If you google anything about how to become a writer, one of the most common pieces of advice you'll see is basically the above quite - over and over that's the theme. Of course you also have to do other things if you want someone other than your mom to read it (and if you don't, that's fine too - many people write in a journal or diary and never show it to a soul - that can be quite fulfilling). But if you do want to be widely read, you have to get out there. None of that is hard, given time and patience and hard work. What's hard is the actual writing.

As I was working on the early stages of this blog, I ran across this gem about author Anthony Trollope, which I've found to be absolutely true:

He woke in darkness and wrote from 5:30 A.M. to 8:30 A.M., with his watch in front of him. He required of himself two hundred and fifty words every quarter of an hour. If he finished one novel before eight-thirty, he took out a fresh piece of paper and started the next. The writing session was followed, for a long stretch of time, by a day job with the postal service. Plus, he said, he always hunted at least twice a week. Under this regimen, he produced forty-nine novels in thirty-five years. Having prospered so well, he urged his method on all writers: 'Let their work be to them as is his common work to the common laborer. No gigantic efforts will then be necessary. He need tie no wet towels round his brow, nor sit for thirty hours at his desk without moving,—as men have sat, or said that they have sat.'

While affirming the importance of that kind of discipline a friend pointed out that "perhaps the 'just write, baby!' school was assisted somewhat in his case with a large dollop of creative genius." While that's true, I think that anyone with any writing talent can strengthen it by, well...just writing!

Do Christians Have a Higher Standard?

Should we, as Christians sharing our faith to a lost world, hold ourselves to a higher standard of behavior than those to whom we're witnessing? I say yes.

When Christians don't practice what they preach, especially when they don't practice the one thing most unchurched people think Christianity is about (love!), they give people an excuse to not explore the Christian faith.

Our job is to pull people in, not drive them away. When we annoy people by not being nice, if we come across as mean, bitter people, we can cause people to dismiss everything else we say. How many times have you heard someone use the excuse "If those people are Christians I don't want to have anything to do with it!" to not take the first steps toward following God?

Like it or not, people judge what they see. If they see us claim to follow Jesus, but don't appear to love our neighbor, they'll see the hypocrisy straight away. Especially if they see those people as being holier-than-thou in other areas.

I don't want to stand before Jesus and hear him tell me about the people who turned away from him because of my example. I think that places a higher standard on those of us who are trying to spread God's word.

Argue *to* the truth of your position, not *from* it

My friend Ryan is currently reading C.S. Lewis' collected letters, which is interesting in how it shows Lewis' gradual progress from a die-hard atheist to a believing Christian. Ryan occasionally sends me excerpts from his reading and this one was particularly interesting:

From Letters, Volume 2, p. 150, to his friend and former pupil, a Catholic and now a monk, Dom Bede Griffiths, 26 Dec 1934:

If you are going to argue with me on the point at issue between our churches, it is obvious that you must argue *to* the truth of your position, not *from* it. The opposite procedure only wastes your time and leaves me to reply, moved solely by embarrassment, 'you are a saint, but you are no philosopher!'.

That whole idea - arguing TO your position's correctness, not FROM it - seems to me to be the biggest problem people have in discussing religious disagreements. I've recently spent a lot of time reading/listening to debates on the subject of "salvation at the point of faith or baptism" and I have to say that in every one of them every person seems to me to be arguing FROM their position's correctness.

It is a hard thing to fix, or even recognize - look for it in your own arguments the next time you are discussing theology with someone.

Four "rules" for understanding the Bible

During a recent Bible study my friend Allen Dvorak mentioned three “rules” that he uses to help him understand the Bible. I had not heard them before and they made a lot of sense to me so I thought I'd share them.

1. Observe context. Interpret verses/passages in light of their immediate and general context.

2. Harmonize. Based on the compatibility of every “part” of truth, our understanding of one verse/passage should harmonize with what is taught in other verses/passages which are equally related to the same subject.

3. Interpret the difficult in light of the easier. If you find one verse that appears to mean X, and twenty others that all clearly mean "not X", then the one verse probably doesn't mean X.

I would personally add a fourth, which I believe is by far the hardest:

4. Have an open mind. Ask yourself whether this is really true, or just something that you want to be true. I've been guilty of this but now understand that what I want is irrelevant, all that matters is what God wants. I don't think there is any easy way to counter this; just be aware of it.

Failure

We're all so afraid of failure, but it doesn't have to be bad long term.

If God wanted to say something to you...

If God wanted to tell you something, how would he do it? How would he communicate with you?

Would he put a burning feeling in your heart? Would you "just know"? Would he speak to you with an audible voice? Would you just feel very strongly that you should do something? Would he tell you via the Bible?

For the sake of this post, let's assume it is the Bible.

I heard an interesting question in a debate recently. One person was arguing that the Bible forbade a particular thing and the other person that it was permitted. The interesting question from the first person was this: "If God wanted to declare this as wrong, how else would he state it?" His point was if you don't think that's clear, what words would convince you?

I thought that was a terrific question, with lots of interesting applications. Try it yourself - the next time you are reading the Bible pick a subject and ask yourself "if God wanted to permit or forbid or require this, what words would he use?"

Is the Bible God's word or does it "contain" God's word?

I was listening to a formal debate on whether churches should have women preachers and I found an interesting argument supporting that position:

The Bible isn't God's word, but it contains God's word. Paul wrote what he thought, but he wasn't writing for God. Same with Moses, etc. - they were not writing God's words, but what they wanted to write.

Now I have to say right out that I think that's crazy. Not because I don't think it is true (I don't, but someone isn't wrong just because they don't agree with me) but because if one believes that, then upon what (other than your own preferences) do you base your belief system on? I do admire this lady for one thing: she has the courage to actually state this - I think many people believe it but won't actually say it in public.

I'm not saying that someone is stupid if they believe this. I sure hope that's not the case because I've made this exact argument before. I'm just saying that if you really think about it, you can't hold this position because it doesn't make sense. If it is true the Bible doesn't hold any meaning for us - it is no better than any self-help book that tries to show us how to live better. If you can pick and choose which parts to believe, you can support pretty much anything.

I'm stating flat out that the Bible is either true, or it isn't. It is either God's perfect, consistent, complete word, or it isn't. There is no middle ground. There is no gray area here - it is black and white.

If you side with me here then you and I may disagree on what Paul meant when he said this or that but if the words in the Bible say that what Paul was writing was inspired, we can't just ignore them. Here are a few sample verses that show that the Bible states that Paul is writing inspired doctrine, not his own words: 1 Corinthians 2:13, 1 Corinthians 7:10, Ephesians 3:3-5, 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, 1 Corinthians 14:37, 2 Peter 3:15-16.

Again, either the Bible is true or it isn't. It says that Paul was inspired and that is either true or it isn't. If it isn't, then we should ignore it all (or perhaps browse it for some common sense "good ideas"). If it is then we should obey it...completely. But it can't be partially true and we can't pretend that it is.

Well, of course we can - and we do, all the time. What I mean is that we can't do that and be consistent or intellectually honest. What we want to do (what I've absolutely done, to my shame) is pick the things we like, focus on those, and ignore the rest. As C.S. Lewis says, that's what allows two people to both claim to be Christians while arguing for completely opposite things. I think one of the most serious (and common) mistakes is this: we create a Jesus who agrees with us, then we worship that Jesus.

I've done that for years, but have recently decided to stop. Either the Bible is God's word or it isn't. I've decided that it is, and that means that I've got to live by what it says. Even if I sometimes don't like it. Because here's the thing - it doesn't matter what I want, or what I like, all that matters is what God wants. His job is to define that, my job is to do it. I may not understand all that the Bible says, but I understand enough to know that I've not been following it. And I can't look Jesus in the eye and justify my past behavior - and let's be honest, if we can't do that, we're in deep trouble.

Bronner Burgess

Many of you have probably heard about the death of Bronner Burgess. It is incredible is how his family has kept their focus on God through it all, and has shown us how God can get us through anything.

Click here, here, and here to see the 3 parts of Rick speaking at his son's funeral.

Overcoming Resistance

To paraphrase Jim Croce, when the procrastinators all get together at night they call me boss. Here is an excellent article on that called Overcoming Resistance.

Putting God First in Your Life

We've all heard (and probably said) that we want to "put God first" in our lives. But what does that really mean? Must I sell everything and become an impoverished missionary? Or at least be a full time minister? Attend church 23 times per week?

If God is really first in my life, then I'd think I'd be spending a lot of time trying to figure out how He wants me to live. I'd be reading the Bible every day. I'd be praying for help...often. I'd examine my beliefs and ask myself the really hard question: is this what I want to believe, or is this what the Bible says? (That's been a particularly hard one for me.)

And when I figured out what the Bible does say - to whatever extent - I'd hope that I had the courage to live in the manner I understood God was revealing to me. This can be tough as you can find a church to sanction just about any belief. Just because the people around you approve of what you are doing doesn't necessarily mean it is right.

The bottom line is that I don't want to be the kind of person Jesus was talking about when he quoted Isaiah in Matthew 15: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."

Ask yourself if you are doing everything you can to discern God's will. And as you do, live your life according to that will.

Reading the Bible vs. Reading Religious Books

I was talking to my friend Ryan last night about the comparable levels of people's knowledge of the Bible and he said that he thought the problem was that people read lots of books about the Bible instead of reading the Bible. Now he's got more knowledge of the Bible in his little finger than I'll acquire in the next decade so his comment rattled around in my head all night.

Those of you who know me know how I admire C.S. Lewis. I think every Christian or aspiring Christian should read Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Great Divorce.

However, we have to put these resources and people in their proper perspective: they can often have interesting, and sometimes very helpful things to say, but they aren't God, and their books aren't the Bible. Remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1 (ESV):

10I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Ryan is also a big C.S. Lewis fan and he and I have joked "I follow Lewis", and the kernel of truth that is in most such statements clarified the danger for us.

A similar danger can be found in following our preachers in whatever they say. However wise they may be, remember that they are people just like you and can and often will be fallible. So what's my point? Just this:

Pay attention to your preacher, read helpful books about scripture, but always remember that it is better to be like the Bereans (Acts 17, ESV):

11Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

If you will read the Bible every single day for the rest of your life, even if only briefly, you'll gain more knowledge more quickly than you can imagine. The key is consistency - every day, no matter what. Not so you can check it off your list and say you do it, but so that the Holy Spirit will show you the truth. My experience is that it works like this.

A goal writing experience

When I was working at WireSpeed (1995-2000) I took a course on time management & organization. As part of that course I wrote down goals for each part of my life. I'm not sure what happened then, but basically I filed them away and forgot them.

Several years later I was listening to a Brian Tracy CD on goal setting and he urged his listeners to try this experiment: Write out your goals on January 1, seal them in an envelope and forget them for the rest of the year. Open them on December 31 and you'll find that you've accomplished most of them. His point was that the act of just writing them down once (forget about tracking them or making detailed plans) was incredibly powerful. I was a bit skeptical, but I mentally filed that away and moved on.

A few months later I was going through some old boxes and I found those old goals I had written years before. As I read through them Brian Tracy's comments came shooting up from my memory as I was having a hard time believing my eyes: I had achieved almost everything I had written on that paper.

Since then I've become a big believer in written goals. I have a document on my PC at home with a paragraph for each part of my life (Family, Health, Service to others, Personal Development, Spiritual, Fun, Business). Each of those paragraphs are written in the present tense, as though they are already true (whether they are or not...yet).

Each month I open this document and read and rewrite each goal. It is amazing to watch each one become more and more true over time. You don't have to have detailed step by step plans for each 5 minutes between here and your end goal - I'm sure that's great for anyone who can actually do that - all you have to do is write them down - do that and you'll be ahead of almost everyone you know. If you really want to go wild, rewrite them monthly like I do. Then sit back and be amazed at how quickly you archive them.